Friday, January 28th, 2021

Introduction to
Philosophy
Class 06
 Reminder

• Slides posted (after class)

2
 Reminder

• Forgot to post Discussion

Board initially due Thursday
night.
• Posted Thursday afternoon
and due Sunday night—i.e.,…
3
 Assignment

Due *Night Before* Next Class:

• Discussion Board
• (prep for class discussion)

4
 Assignment
“Due” Night Before Next Class:
• Extra Credit (+1 EC unit):
• Download Grammarly (or similar alternative)
• Grammarly.com
• Post screenshot that shows it’s installed
• e.g., open email writing in Blackboard, click in text
body email and take screenshot with the green
Grammarly icon in the corner
5
 Today’s Agenda

• Class Business
• Discussion Board
• Lecture/Discussion
Class Business

7
PHONES
AWAY!!!
8
 No Laptops
unless
permission!!!
9
 Extra Credit
• Standing OPTIONAL Extra Credit assignment:
• Essay/Paper on movie with philosophical theme (e.g., moral
dilemma)
• OPTIONAL guidelines:
• Identify the moral issue raised in the movie
• Describe the scenario through which the issue is raised
• If the movie (screen writer, etc.) takes a position, on the issue what
is it?
• What are other positions that could be taken?
• What are pros and cons of these positions?
• Which position do you think is right? Why
10
 Extra Credit
• Suggestion:
• Avoid films with clear-cut good & bad
guys/sides/positions/etc.: not paper
conducive; need some sort of moral dilemma
• Recommendations:
• Minority Report, Gattica, Brave New World,
Dead Man Walking
• Can select any movie, but recommend, first,
checking with me about whether movie is
paper-conducive
11
• Movies especially good for Extra Credit:

• “Batman: Under the Red Hood”

• Animated
• Philosophical theme: Consequentialism
(greater good matters most) vs. Deontology
(morality of action matters most)
• “Eye in the Sky”
• Good movie, acting, screenplay. Serious.
• Philosophical theme: Applied Ethics: case
involving drone strikes
12
 Extra Credit
• OPTIONAL Extra Credit:

• 1 EC unit cancels 1 absence/missed DB

• Absences first

• EC units per quality/quantity

• 1 page double-spaced (300 w) =

approx. 1 EC)
• Default EC limit: 8 units
13
Class Business

• <Attendance>

14
 Extra Credit
• Philosophy Club
• Attendance = +1 extra credit unit
• For 1st 2 meetings
• Friday, 1:00-1:50
• In-person (HSS, room 2010)
• OR via Zoom
• Will send Zoom link Thurs/Fri
• Topic: Free Will & Moral Responsibility
16
Review

1
7
 Philosophy

World as it seems
=?
World as it really is

1
1
 Philosophy

• No color “out there”

• Just light with different wave-lengths
• Color is in us
• Dogs see in blue & tan

2
• Distinction: Cause vs. Constitute

• Colors ≠ Wavelengths

• Colors ONLY in our head

• Outside our head: ONLY wavelengths of light

• Wavelengths NOT “Reduction” of colors

• Wavelengths CAUSE our color experience

2
 Philosophy
• If world-as-seems = world-as-is, then:
seeming-from-outside = coming-from-outside

• But lots of seeming-from-outside is really

coming-from-inside

 DOUBT: world-as-seems = world-as-is

2
 Lecture/
Discussion

2
5
Video (23 min)

2
6
 Philosophy
“The Matrix”:

• Neo:

• Thinks he lives in 1990’s California

• Turns out he lives in 2200-ish, in a pod of pink

goo, hooked up to computer, and what he thinks is
1990’s California is really just a computer program
(and there are robots that looks like bugs, etc.)

2
 Philosophy

• You:

• Think you live in 2020 Arkansas?

• <vote>

2
 Philosophy
• You:

• What you call 2022 Arkansas is really just a

computer program, and your body is in a pod of
pink goo somewhere.

• Agree?

• <vote>

• <reasons?>

2
 Philosophy
• “I’m NOT in PGP” (pink goo pod)

• How do you know?

• Can you prove it?

• Is it rational to believe “I’m NOT in PGP”?

• Why?

• Is it rational to believe “I am in PGP”?

• Why?
3
 Philosophy
• Consensus:
• In PGP? Can’t disprove
• {“Matrix”: Plato (cave), Descartes
(evil deceiver)}
• Possible: Extremely wrong about
world-as-is
3
Questions/Comments?

3
2